Quality control of phenylbutazone I: Analysis of phenylbutazone and decomposition products in drugs by TLC.

A modified TLC procedure for the analysis of phenylbutazone and its degradates on silica plates is reported. This method avoids phenylbutazone degradation in situ by chelating the iron of the silica plate, which allows rapid characterization with a fluorescence indicator. A selective and sensitive assay of phenylbutazone (0.025 microgram), using a chromatographic spectrophotometer, was performed on silica plates without a fluorescence indicator. Quantitative analysis of an injectable solution is outlined.